The Labours of Yuuri Katsuki
by satbiym
Summary: "Look back, for your journey will take your Heart whole…" With these ominous words from the Oracle of Delphi in mind, Yuuri sets out, with the eyes of the world and the gods on him, to complete the vow he had made on his sixteenth birthday. He was going to become a Hero. This is his Journey.


Author's Note:

Hey guys!

This is the prequel for my fic The Lament for Icarus. While that fic focuses on what happens after Yuuri returns from his Journey, this is what happens during, so be prepared for Epic Friendship, Daring Feats, Disguises, Intrigue and More!

This fic wasn't supposed to happen, but then I started writing it as a bonus scene for those who commented in the above fic and... this happened.

You don't need to read the above fic to understand what's happening in this one, although it is recommended that you read _The Lament for Icarus_ first.

Anyway! Happy Reading!

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_Look back, for _  
_your journey will take your _  
_Heart whole, _  
_Your first labour shall be _  
_to take flight aided by the Griffin, _  
_A chance encounter _  
_With the designer of _  
_Your demise shall fall, _  
_But stay on the path, _  
_To outrun Pasiphae's son, _  
_Keep together and _  
_capture the hound of Hades himself _  
_Then venture out to the waters, _  
_And steal the heart of a siren _  
_To destroy the beings _  
_By the names of Scylla and Charybdis _  
_Is your trial _  
_And to capture the eye of Graeae _  
_Is your duty _  
_Quench the thirst of Arachne _  
_Twist your heart, and _  
_Give nobody a sense of peace _  
_Steal from the ministers of the Thunderer _  
_And then thy journeys will end _  
_at the helm of _  
_The Chariot of Ares  
_Fear and dread await you

* * *

Yuuri was nervous as he wandered in the area rumoured to be guarded by a griffin.

From what he could understand from the Oracle's confusing prophecy, he was supposed to fly on a griffin, if he was to become a Hero.

Yuuri looked around and tried to mentally strategize and list his skills, while keeping an eye out for anything vaguely griffin-y looking.

(Not that Yuuri knew what they looked like, seeing as how laying eyes on a griffin often happened to be the last thing any mortal did. But he could imagine - head and wings of an eagle, but body of a lion. That seems easy enough to identify, Yuuri reasoned, trying to ignore the way his heart stuttered.)

_Okay, so the griffin is supposed to be the most fearsome of all the creatures, even regarded as the king of all creatures. That's a point to the griffin. _

Yuuri stumbled as his foot got stuck in a nearby root of a tree, he caught himself by holding onto the tree's trunk. Only, the trunk, previously solid, disappeared, as if it were nothing but a mirage.

His gasp was lost as he plunged into the darkness below, where the tree had once been. He fell for what seemed like years, body sinking like a stone in the air.

Yuuri felt the rushing air burn his eyes, as he thought of his family watching him plunge to his death, not even a week into his Journey.

They didn't deserve this.

The darkness gave way, and in the ensuing light, Yuuri could see the incoming, dusty floor of the cavern he had fallen prey to.

At a loss of what to do, Yuuri prayed to the gods.

But the ground still approached, faster and closer than before.

Yuuri felt the impact as he hit the ground, and readied himself, wishing he had had the foresight to carry some money to pay Charon for his passage to the underworld.

Only, the ground gave way to Yuuri's weight, as he sunk into the floor. Yuuri gasped, which proved to be a mistake, as something rushed into his mouth choking him.

Yuuri flailed, spitting out the offending intrusion, and tried to stay afloat, as he sunk further and further down into the floor.

Yuuri had sunk until his shoulders, when his feet hit solid floor; he stumbled in surprise, almost falling backward, but caught himself before he could.

On firm ground once more, Yuuri analyzed the situation quickly, his skin felt prickled, like someone was poking it with a dull stick, his eyes were starting to water with the dust in the air, and he felt suffocated, like he was still drowning. He looked around him, the ground appeared to have been covered with some material. What Yuuri had thought was the ground, was nothing but a soft material with coarse tips.

Yuuri touched the material, and squinted at it, trying to see it in the dim lighting.

It was… a feather.

A particularly large one at that.

He looked around and realized that the ground he had thought was swallowing him was nothing but a thick layer of feathers. Hitting it was akin to being thrown into a big pillow.

But what could possibly shed so many feathers? And particularly of this size? Yuuri wondered with alarm.

In the distance, he heard a loud shriek pierce through the air.

Like, Yuuri realized with mounting horror, a particularly large bird's call.

_Point to griffin. _

Heart thumping, but mind determined at the thought of his family watching him back in Hasetsu, Yuuri trudged towards the sound, listening to the instincts urging him to _move. _

Gold.

That was the first thing Yuuri saw when he peeked into the adjoining cavern.

Gold nuggets gleamed back at Yuuri as he took in the opening. Layers and layers of them, stacked until the ceiling. This room contained more gold than Yuuri had thought existed in the world.

The shriek sounded again, as some gold nuggets shook in place. Yuuri turned a wary eye to the disturbance, and gripping the ancestral sword his mother had given him when he had left on his journey, prepared himself to see the king of all creatures.

_I have been trained by Minako herself, to become a Hero. I cannot let her, let them, down. I will do this. _

The gold rustled, until it finally gave way to the might of the force pushing at it, and fell to the ground with a loud clatter. But Yuuri gave it no mind, his thoughts too occupied with the creature the movement had revealed.

_It was… beautiful _, Yuuri thought at the back of his mind. Yuuri had been prepared to battle gorgons and defeat chimeras, but the thought that danger could be beautiful as well, had never crossed his mind. The thought that they would be a real, living being had never occurred to him.

Danger was supposed to be treacherous and ugly, not...

The bird reared its head back, exposing the white feathers of their neck, pulling open the large wings by their side and nipping at them. The movement was proud, like something Yuuri could expect to find Minako doing. The griffin's body was strong, lethal, and coiled with muscles. The lion part of the griffin lived up to its reputation. The wings were as large as the roof of Yuuri's house, and all the more magnificent for it.

The griffin looked free.

Yuuri couldn't even bear the thought of harming anyone who so rightfully belonged to live free and unencumbered by petty mortal matters. Yuuri swallowed, thoughts racing.

The bird suddenly stilled, head snapping up to look around the room, Yuuri just managing to duck away before the griffin's eyes reached him.

_Eagle-eyed. _

_Point to griffin. _

Yuuri pressed himself against the wall as loud paws shuffled towards where he was hiding, willing the griffin to not come any further. But it seemed like the gods were not in a mood to listen, as the paws padded closer to Yuuri.

There was only one thing left to do, Yuuri realized. Yuuri put his sword away and prepared himself.

* * *

When the griffin peeked into the hallway, they expected to find a meek intruder, scared and ready to bolt.

But what the griffin wasn't expecting was for a tiny humanoid figure to be sitting on the ground, holding what appeared to be meat; only, the griffin sniffed the air, it wasn't the type of meat they usually ate, bloody and tough. Instead it smelled closer to how the smoke near mortal territories would smell.

The griffin decided they wanted it, whatever it was, they wanted it. The king of all creatures reared up on their hind legs and let out a shrill call.

Only, the humanoid creature kept fiddling away with the meat in their hand.

The griffin cocked their head, confused. Was this a god in disguise? But… no, the griffin decided, suddenly outraged, this figure had the stench of _mortals _. How dare this mortal intrude on their territory! The griffin stalked closer, readying themselves to make sure this slight was the last thing this mortal ever did.

At their proximity, the mortal put the meat on the ground, and then, to the griffin's bafflement, put their forehead to the ground, baring the vulnerable back of their neck.

The posture bore remarkable similarity to the way devotees would sit after making an offering to their chosen god. But… there was no hearth to put the food into, so the only alternative explanation was that...

That meat was an offering. To them.

The griffin though revered and feared, had never had been given an offering. The griffin eyed the light sprinkling of hair at the base of the mortal's neck, one peck and the mortal would be gone forever.

The meat was a tiny thing, probably pig if the smell was any indication, and it was probably burnt with fire like the mortals are wont to do… Completely unacceptable for them.

The griffin walked closer, until the tip of their beak was almost grazing the foolish mortal's neck.

The mortal didn't move. The mortal was a tiny thing with barely any meat on their bones. The griffin would still be starving after consuming them.

The griffin opened their beak, and lunged.

Unacceptable or not, it would have to do.

* * *

Yuuri didn't dare to breathe as the griffin came near him, begging his body to not betray him.

He thought back to Minako's words, the ones that had prompted him to enact his bizarre plan.

_"All beings want respect. They want to be recognized and be afforded basic dignity. Take away a being's pride and you have nothing but a broken shell open for the taking. _"

At that time Yuuri had not understood what Minako had meant, and he was sure she didn't mean for him to use it _this _way. But Minako had always been Yuuri's North Star, he would willingly put his life in her hands and teachings.

Even fearsome creatures wanted respect.

The thought of Minako kept him still as something cold with the consistency of stone touched his neck.

He held himself still, not even daring to breathe, heart pounding.

And then the griffin lunged, in one quick swoop picking up the fried pig meat Yuuri's mother had packed for him to eat on his journey.

Yuuri always knew he could stake his reputation on his mother's Katsudon, now Yuuri's further survival depended on if he was ready to stake his life on it. The griffin wouldn't be satisfied with such a small meal, and might turn to Yuuri next…

Yuuri held still, as the sound of the griffin swallowing filled the air. After what seemed like eons, quiet descended in the cavern. Yuuri prepared himself to be the next meal on the griffin's menu.

But the griffin just backed away and padded further back to the cavern, without giving Yuuri another glance. Yuuri looked up warily, and saw the griffin opening their wings and preparing themselves for flight.

His eyes widened and, getting to his feet, ran.

The griffin probably wasn't expecting the mortal they had spared to jump and hang onto their talons, as the griffin flew out of the cavern.

But…

The griffin might be king of all creatures, but no creature had the idiotic tenacity mortals favoured.

_Point to me. _

Yuuri gripped tighter as the razor-sharp claws grazed his chest. The griffin made an outraged sound above him, but Yuuri didn't dare look up from where he was hanging onto the front legs of the griffin, instead opting to look down; which turned out to be a mistake, considering they were several hundred feet in air.

The griffin cawed loudly, vocal in their outrage, but Yuuri held firm, managing to dodge some of the griffin's attacks.

But even as he was being flung back and forth, Yuuri felt like laughing, for...

He could feel the air in his hair, and the wind rushing in his ears.

He felt free.

Yuuri felt the griffin start their descent, clearly unhappy with the additional, unwelcome passenger, and he prepared himself.

But his careful preparations were for naught, as a sharp heat spread along his arm. In his surprise, his fingers loosened their grip on the griffin's legs. Which was all that the griffin needed to finally succeed in pushing him away.

Yuuri shouted as he - for the second time that day - fell.

Yuuri hit the ground hard, remembering to cradle his head and tuck in his legs. He rolled for what seemed like years, until he stopped; bruised, bloody and quickly losing consciousness, Yuuri's last thought was: _I hope falling isn't going to become a habit._

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**End Note:**

Hope you guys enjoyed that!

I look forward to interacting with you in the reviews or on Tumblr (you can find me at satbiym)

Stay tuned for further adventures of Yuuri and Phichit! Although Phichit didn't show up in this chapter, something tells me you are going to see him real soon ;)

_Till Next Time!_


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